Tostada Pizza Recipe

We made this for dinner on Sunday. It's one of the first things I remember Mj and I making together when we first started dating. I made the 1 1/2 hour drive up to his apartment in Orange County for the weekend. He suggested we make dinner together so he got out his cookbooks. I was quite impressed that this young guy actually had cookbooks. I on the other hand, had not a single one or even pots and pans for that matter. We flipped through the pages and this one stood out to both of as fun and easy to make. We went to the grocery store for ingredients. I distinctly remember we HAD to get beer to go with it. Our mutual love of beer is actually what attracted me to him. Totally kidding, but it was definitely a plus. We went back to his apartment, made dinner and watched a movie. I can't believe that was five years ago. We haven't made it in a really long time so it was fun to do it again and think back to the first time.

Pizza is my favorite food and I like it that making it hardly feels like cooking. It's not a traditional Pizza but it still has cheese and therefore I love it. Adding cornmeal on the pan gives the crust a nice crunch. The beans and ground beef are a tasty combination. We've never tried it with re-fried beans but if you don't want to mash up the pinto beans it would also be a tasty alternative. We used a canned Pillsbury Pizza crust. If you want another lower calorie and carb Mexican style pizza option check out the flatout version here.

Pinto Beans: Mashed ones on the right

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 4 ounce can diced green chile peppers, drained
1/2 0.5 ounce envelope (about 2 Tbsp) of taco seasoning mix
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1 10 ounce package refrigerated pizza dough
1 15 ounce can pinto beans, rinsed drained (or refried beans)
1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
bottled taco sauce (optional)

Directions
1. In a large skillet cook meat until brown. Drain off fat. Stir in 3/4 cup water, chile peppers, taco seasoning mix and chilli powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered 15 to 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.

2. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Pat pizza dough into a 12x8 inch rectangle on the baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

3. In a bowl mash pinto beans with fork (or just use re-fried beans) and spread over partially baked dough to within 1/2 inch of the edges. Spoon meat mixture over beans. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or more until crust is just golden. Sprinkle with cheese and bake 1-2 minutes or more until cheese is melted. Top with lettuce, tomato and green onions. Serve with taco sauce if desired.

[From: Better Homes & Gardens 75th Anniversary Edition Cookbook]

Nutritional Information: (1/16th)
Calories: 151
Total Fat: 18g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 24mg
Sodium: 181g
Carbs: 19g
Fiber: 6.5g
Sugar: 1g
Protein: 12g